Amid the Israel-Hamas war, how Benjamin Netanyahu is losing the battle at home

We are nearing two weeks of the Israel-Hamas war. In that period, the death toll from both sides has climbed to over 3,000 people; countless others have been injured and millions of people have been displaced from their homes in the Gaza Strip. There’s also a looming fear that the Israel-Hamas war will escalate into a bigger conflict in the West Asia region, posing greater geopolitical risks. As the war rages on, bleeding the Israeli economy , questions are now being asked of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of the country. Many realise that Hamas’ audacious attack on 7 October is intricately tied to the government’s colossal failures . People in the country are angry and voicing their anger. A local was even quoted as saying: “The bunch of imbeciles leading the country we live in, the country where my beloved little brother was killed protecting the homeland that forgot us — not because it was inevitable but because this disgraceful government is involved in everything it should not be involved in. My beloved brother was murdered by hate-filled terrorists, but those who disgracefully opened the door for them are the Israeli government, from the minister of national security and his messianic friends — clowns who busy themselves creating violent, idiotic slogans — to the prime minister, who is doing everything in his power to disintegrate the State of Israel.” What does this mean for ‘Bibi’, a politician who has built his politics and his legendary career on national security prowess? Does the war mean imperil his political legacy? Netanyahu’s waning popularity A start of a war or a national-security crisis sees a surge in popularity for democratic leaders. For instance, in the two weeks after the attacks of 9/11 attacks, George W Bush’s approval rating rose from 51 per cent to 90 per cent, as per The Economist. However, this is not the case for Benjamin Netanyahu. Amid the war, on 13 October, the Israeli research institutes revealed in a poll that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity had dipped since Hamas devastating attack, while that of Benny Gantz, a former general who’s now part of Israel’s “war cabinet,” had surged. The survey, published by Maariv newspaper, showed opposition parties would win a crushing majority against Netanyahu’s coalition if elections were held now. Of the roughly 600 people surveyed, 48 per cent said Gantz was their preferred prime minister, while 29 per cent chose Netanyahu.

The survey also showed that Gantz’s centrist National Unity party would win 41 seats up from the 12 it currently holds. Likud, meanwhile, drops to just 19 seats, well below the 32 it currently has. A Dialog Center poll published on 12 October found that 86 per cent of respondents believe the Hamas attack represented a failure of national leadership. The same was true of 79 per cent of those who are supporters of Netanyahu’s coalition government. Ninety-four per cent said they believe the government is responsible for the lack of preparedness, with 56 per cent saying Netanyahu should resign at the end of the war. Apart from the survey, several editorials in newspapers and political commentators have also spoken of their mistrust of Netanyahu’s government. The Haaretz, the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, wrote: The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. Amit Segal, a political columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth and one of the journalists considered closest to Netanyahu, said the prime minister could not escape blame for the systemic failure, and for a policy of tolerating Hamas to try to stabilize Gaza. “I can’t tell when, but it will make it very difficult for him to survive politically,” Segal said. [caption id=“attachment_13265712” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A boy looks up at a campaign banner depicting Benny Gantz, alongside Benjamin Netanyahu. A recent survey revealed that 48 per cent would prefer Gantz as their prime minister, while 29 per cent chose Netanyahu. File image/Reuters[/caption] ‘A dead man walking, politically’ In the aftermath of the Hamas attack, Israelis questioned the failure of the intelligence agencies and Netanyahu. Ruth Margalit, a journalist based in Tel Aviv and covering the Netanyahu administration told NPR that Netanyahu has taken no personal responsibility for what has happened. This even though the IDF chief of staff and the defence minister took responsibility. Netanyahu’s strategy of allowing Hamas room for manoeuvre has also been questioned in the wake of the attacks. Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister, accused Netanyahu of being responsible for the build-up of Hamas capabilities in the Gaza Strip . In an interview to NDTV, he was quoted as saying: “Netanyahu is personally and directly responsible for the deal with Hamas” which led to the release of “1,000 murderers of Hamas in exchange for one Israeli soldier”. He has also held Netanyahu accountable for the policy that allegedly marginalised moderate Palestinians, with whom he said negotiations should have taken place. Olmert claimed that this policy inadvertently contributed to the rise of Hamas because it was considered a non-negotiating party, allowing Netanyahu to avoid making concessions to them. Many have also questioned the apparent “preparedness failure” and pointed fingers at Netanyahu for the same. It has been reported that the military has been moving battalions away from the border with Gaza to secure Jewish settlers in the West Bank. [caption id=“attachment_13265652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People mourn the death of Israeli soldier who was killed following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, at his funeral at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. Many people hold Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the audacious attacks on 7 October. Reuters[/caption] Another stunning failure was Israel’s huge, $1.1 billion, 65 km-long, six metre-high Gaza barrier wall, which the attackers overcame with apparent ease. Moreover, families whose loved ones have been taken hostage feel completely abandoned by the Netanyahu government. The Israeli government said it will not take hostages into consideration for how it continues its war against Hamas. This has led to families of American and French dual-citizen hostages to beg Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron to rescue their loved ones. On Tuesday, three families held press conferences warning Netanyahu. “If we don’t get the attention we need,” said Uri David, whose daughters, Ta’ir and Odaya, are missing, “this country will tremble.” Hebrew University political-science professor Gideon Rahat told New York Magazine, “Bibi is absent.” “What has Bibi even done? Listen to his words — he says, ‘I ordered such and such.’ That’s the entire story; they sit there and issue orders. Netanyahu is completely disconnected. He has no idea where he is living. He has no idea of the magnitude of this moment,” he was quoted as saying. Past anger comes alive However, for Netanyahu, the public’s anger isn’t a new issue. Earlier, in the year, Israel witnessed an uprising and anger spilling out on the streets as the prime minister pushed for a judicial overhaul that would weaken and politicise the Israeli supreme court. [caption id=“attachment_13265662” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A demonstrator walks with an Israeli flag past banners condemning Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul plan near Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv in September. File image/AFP[/caption] His own legal controversies stemming from corruption charges and formation of the country’s most right-wing government ever has already helped put Israeli society on the edge. As HA Hellyer — a senior associate fellow in international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London — told Newsweek that all of this left Netanyahu with little wiggle room. “He expended all of this political capital and investment on ‘judicial reform’ and avoiding jail,” Hellyer said. “What’s he got to show for it? A security apparatus that seems to have been completely caught unawares and by surprise. And the price of it, the cost of it: humongous.” While Israel is angry, they will remain united by the war. As Guy Ziv of American University’s Center for Israel Studies told NPR, “Netanyahu has long cultivated the self-image of Mr Security, and that image has now been irreparably shattered.” It is left to be seen if this war enables Netanyahu, who has earned the nickname of ‘the magician’ for his ability to escape political death will be able to cast a new spell on Israel and retain power. With inputs from agencies